Roscoe Village's Commonwealth Tavern ( 2000 W. Roscoe Ave.; www.commonwealthchicago.com/ ) has replaced Mulligan's—and the results are striking, at least in terms of decor.
Commonwealth, which opened in February, certainly has a welcoming vibe—and the food will appeal to patrons.
At least the appetizers will.
The nachos ( with pork, beer cheese, Chihuahua cheese, salsa verde, crema and escabeche ) were outstanding, which the flavors complimenting instead of competing with each other. Also, the mixed greens ( with winter citrus, fennel, red onions, almonds and roasted shallot vinaigrette ) were refreshing. However, our favorite—hands down—was the chicken liver mousse-and-toast combo, enhanced with a cranberry mostarda.
As for the entrees, they weren't bad; it's just that they suffered by comparison to the taste of ( and effort put into ) the starters—at least, that's the case of one of them. The smoked chicken ( with pork and bean ragout ) was serviceable; however, the pork schnitzel was surprisingly lacking in flavor, despite the fact that it had a mustard spatzle and dill creme fraiche.
The dessert also didn't measure up to the appetizers. We ordered the ice-cream sandwich ( flavored with peanut butter, chocolate crunch and bourbon caramel ) after being told the other item wasn't available. Compared to the presentation of the previous items, this was a letdown of sorts—a sandwich wrapped in paper with the tavern's seal. Moreover, the taste was ... OK, but nothing special.
My dining companion and I really wanted to like the fare at Commonwealth more than we did. However, after the appetizers, the selections were, unfortunately, rather hit-and-miss.
Incidentally, there's an off-the-menu burger that's 70 percent brisket and 30 percent bacon that's ground in-house. We didn't try it, but it sounds intriguing. Maybe we'll try that next time.
Kanela Wicker Park
Kanela Breakfast Club has again expanded with a restaurant in Wicker Park ( 1408 N. Milwaukee Ave.; www.kanelabreakfastclub.com/ ), in a stretch an interesting mix of abandoned storefronts and trendy, bustling business ( including Antique Tacos and Jackson Junge Gallery ).
Like the Kanela at Lake View, this one is deceptively large—and, similar to the ones in Lake View and Old Town, there's a very comfortable feeling one gets upon walking into the place. ( A fourth Kanela will open in Streeterville soon. )
Diners will also be glad to know that the menu is the same—and that includes the refreshing juice blends and the delightful monkey bread.
My friend and I tried three different dishes that we thought would represent the Kanela experience. The "Green Eggs and Ham" ( reminiscent of a similar dish at Kitsch'n on Roscoe ) has pesto, and ranked as our favorite—it was entirely scrumptious. As for the other dishes, they had their highs and lows. The stuffed raspberry cheesecake French toast didn't overwhelm us like I thought it would; however, it was a bit dry, and syrup couldn't hide that. As for the fried chicken waffle sandwich, my dining companion liked it more than I did; if the chicken had been more flavorful, I'm sure I would've been on board as well.
Overall, I'd say Kanela Wicker Park is almost on par with the other Kanela restaurants—but some work needs to be done.
A special shout-out goes to Joshua, the efficient "handsome hipster" server/part-time singer who made our experience even better.
"12 Cocktails of Christmas"
Level Two, on the second floor of the Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile ( 633 N. St. Clair St.; chicagomagnificentmile.hyatt.com/en/hotel/news-and-events/events/2014-Live-Entertainment-in-Chicago.html ), is currently offering its "12 Cocktails of Christmas," available through Dec. 25.
A recent media event unveiled the $12 items: Cinnamon ( Cinnamon Old-Fashioned ), Gingerbread ( Gingerbread Martini ), Peppermint ( Stinger ), Cloves ( Cable Car Cocktail ), Walnuts ( Nuts and Bolts ), Cranberry ( Cranberry Old-Fashioned ), spiced cider, Egg Nog ( Gin Flip ), Hazelnuts ( Bistro Sidecar ), Sugar Plum ( Sugar Plum Martini ), Chocolate ( Death by Chocolate ) and Pears ( Purple "Pear"adise ). Among those that received the highest praise were Death by Chocolate ( a warm drink that tastes alcohol-free, but isn't ) and the spiced cider.
However, Level Two—which is open 6:30 a.m.-11 p.m.—offers a lot more than cocktails. The media event unveiled a few of the restaurant's appetizers, including mushroom empanadas, spinach-and-artichoke dip, and the addictive chicken pops ( drumsticks topped with soy ginger-chili sauce and toasted sesame seeds ). There are also flatbreads, entrees ( including rack of lamb and papardelle carbonara ), burgers ( such as the PBLT—pork belly, lettuce and tomato ) and desserts.
Also, check out the music. There are different people/acts performing 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. Last but not least, there's a $15 weekend brunch special.
